Improvement in car-couplings



. c. HULZNERQ Y Car-Go'up ii ng.

Patented April 13, 1875;.

INVENTOB momma.

THE GRAPHIC C0.PHOTOLITH.39 B4 PARK PLACE, NY.

CHARLES HOLZNER, OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY.

IMPROVEMENT IN CAR-COUPLINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 162,067, dated April13, 1875; application filed February 24, 1875.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CHARLES HCLZNER, ofLouisville, in the county of J efi'erson and State of Kentucky, haveinvented a new and Improved Gar-Coupling; and I do hereby dc; clare thatthe following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same,reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming a part of thisspecification, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of my invention,partly in section. Fig.2 is a front elevation of same with a portion ofthe platform of the car broken away.

The invention relates to that class of carcouplings in which no pin orlink is used, but instead thereof a pivoted hook which catches over ashoulder or some equivalent device upon the opposite car, and couplesautomatically.

The invention will first be fully described, in connection with all thatis necessary to a full understanding thereof, and then pointed out inthe claims.

A represents a draw-head placed on car A, open at the rear end, orprovided with bottom aperture a, to receive the end I) of pivoted hookB, belonging to another car, B. The hook is loosely held, by adetachable vertical bolt, G, to a lever, D, so as to have some lateralplay, and thus be turned, as Well as centered, by the converging sidesof the mouth of drawhead. The lever is pivoted at d, and is held up atthe rear end by a spring-support, al on the pendent rods (1 thus holdingthe hookhead 0 firmly down in the hole a, and preventing the cars fromuncoupling until force is applied to overcome the resistance of thesprings. E is a vertical push-bar, preferably provided at the upper endwith a pushbutton, 0, passing through bifurcated end, of, and connectedby apivot, 6 with, the lever D, to enable the hook to be uncoupled by adownwardly-pushing movement. The springs e 6 attached to a cross-rod, 6passing through the bar E, serve to counterbalance the gravity of saidbar and to overcome its tendency to uncouple the hook. F G arehandlevers on opposite sides of car, and pivoted to the push-bar E, oneabove and the other below the lever D, so that said lever may beactuated from the car or on either side thereof.

This car-coupling commends itself to the favor of the public, on accountof its simplicity of construction, fevvness of parts, and

smallness of cost.

1 use extra links in order to accommodate draw-heads of differentheights, and I do not confine myself to any particular number ofsprings, but may use two, four, or more.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, is-

1. The combination, with hook B, of the lever D, pivoted at d, andupheld at its rear end by spring-support, as and for the purpose setforth.

2. The combination, with lever D, of the push-bar E, having cross-rod 6supported by springs 0 as and for the purpose specified.

3. The combination of the hook B, lever D, push-bar E, and hand-levers FG, to enable the hook to be uncoupled from the car from either sidethereof.

CHARLES HOLZNER.

Witnesses:

FRED DAUGLER, AUGUST EBRENZ.

